Gaming terminals, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning at each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting machines. Shrewd operators consequently strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines, features, and enhancements available because such machines attract frequent play and hence increase profitability to the operator. Thus, gaming manufacturers continuously strive to develop new games and improved gaming enhancements that will attract frequent play through enhanced entertainment value to the player.
One concept that has been successfully employed to enhance the entertainment value of a game is the concept of a “secondary” or “bonus” game that may be played in conjunction with a “primary” or “basic” game. The bonus game may comprise any type of game, either similar to or completely different from the basic game, which is entered upon the occurrence of a selected event or outcome in the basic game. Generally, bonus games provide a greater expectation of winning than the basic game and may also be accompanied with more attractive or unusual video displays and/or audio. Wagering games may additionally award players with “progressive jackpot” awards that are funded, at least in part, by a percentage of coin-in from the gaming machine or a plurality of participating gaming machines.
Another way to increase the entertainment value of a wagering game is to enhance the display features associated with the gaming system and/or individual gaming machines. Many gaming machines include a variety of visual attractions and displays, such as models, signs, and other forms of information. These items typically include fixed permanently-printed glass, video displays, artwork, models, and/or marquees. In many gaming regions, industry regulations in fact require each gaming terminal to include top-box mounted lighting and signage that indicate, for example, the class of machine, when the machine is out of funds, when the machine is malfunctioning, etc. For gaming machines with electronic video displays, improvements in video technology, such as liquid crystal display (LCD) panels, plasma display panels, and light emitting diode (LED) displays, have enabled the display of richer and more colorful graphics.
Historically, each gaming machine is limited to a primary display device and a dedicated top box display arrangement with a top-box mounted display device or marquee assembly. In most configurations, the gaming terminal's primary and top-box graphical display devices are rigidly mounted to the cabinet, juxtaposed one on top of the other in a generally parallel, often coplanar layout. The transition area of the gaming terminal between the two graphical display devices is often unused “dead” space or bears permanently-printed graphics. New developments in graphical displays, including those that eliminate “dead” space in multi-display arrangements, can further enhance player appeal and thus increase game play and player loyalty.